Baku, Azerbaijan, May 25
Trend:
The UN highly appreciates Azerbaijan’s efforts to deepen cooperation with the organization, active participation of the country in its initiatives and programs, said UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres.
He made the remarks at a meeting with Azerbaijan’s Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov.
The meeting was held as part of the minister’s working visit to New York to attend the events timed to the 25th anniversary of the establishment of relations between Azerbaijan and the UN, the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry told Trend May 25.
During the meeting, the sides expressed satisfaction with the current level of cooperation.
Azerbaijan remains committed to the UN Charter and the principles and goals of international law, supports the activities of the UN, said Mammadyarov.
He also noted that the election of Azerbaijan as a member of the UN Economic and Social Council for 2017-2019 will create additional opportunities for the country in order to contribute to international development.
Mammadyarov also spoke about the contribution of Azerbaijan at the international level to the dialogue between civilizations and religions.
Speaking about the UN’s role in the peaceful settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, which is the main threat to peace and security in the South Caucasus, the minister stressed that the basic documents on the conflict’s solution were adopted by the UN Security Council.
Mammadyarov noted with regret that the UN Security Council resolutions on the conflict’s settlement still remain unimplemented.
The Azerbaijani minister also emphasized the need to continue substantive negotiations to resolve the conflict.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.
The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.